BJP created illegal posts in Delhi civic bodies, says AAP

Caught on the wrong foot over the appointment of 21 parliamentary secretaries in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party Friday accused the BJP of creating "illegal" posts in the three civic bodies it rules in the national capital.

"They (BJP) have no moral ground to talk about the parliamentary secretaries in the AAP government as they themselves created illegal and unconstitutional posts in the civic bodies here. It is a matter of corruption," AAP leader Dilip Pandey told the media here.

"According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, there is no provision for the posts of Leader of House and Leader of Opposition in the civic bodies. But the BJP, in tandem with the Congress, created these posts and derived benefits," Pandey said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been governing the three civic corporations Delhi -- North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi MC, and East Delhi MC -- for the past nine years.

Earlier this week, President Pranab Mukherjee rejected the Delhi government's bill to exclude the post of parliamentary secretary from the office of profit with retrospective effect.

The Congress and the BJP have sought disqualification of the 21 AAP legislators appointed as the parliamentary secretaries and demanded by-polls in their constituencies.

In a 70-member Delhi assembly, the AAP has 67 members and the BJP has three. If 21 AAP legislators are disqualified, AAP's strength will substantially come down and Delhi will face a mini-election to the assembly.

--IANS

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